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Family mourns father who was shot, killed outside bar in St. George

Posted at 9:47 PM, Dec 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-31 23:47:23-05

ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Fighting back tears, O’Brien Tafua spoke about his brother Spencer Tafua who was shot and killed outside a Saint George bar early Saturday morning.

“His kids was his heart. He holds them dear to his heart. Everywhere we went, he talks about his kids,” said O’Brien. Spencer Tafua was the father to four young kids, two boys and two girls.

The family, spread out across Utah, had just enjoyed a holiday tradition, getting everyone together for one dinner.

“Always that smile. They never forget. He treat everyone with that smile,” said Siniva Saggio, Spencer’s mother.

Around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, police got a call about gunshots, bringing them to the One and Only bar in Saint George. When they got there, they found Spencer Tafua had been shot. He was rushed to Dixie Regional Medical Center but was soon pronounced dead.

Bronson Flynn, 26 years old, was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated assault and other crimes. Police recovered a rifle from his car they believe to be the murder weapon. They also found drug paraphernalia. At this point, they believe Spencer Tafua and Bronson Flynn started arguing in the bar, but they don’t know what the dispute was about.

“We are requesting anyone who was there that night, that saw anything, has any kind of information to reach out to our tip line,” said Officer Tiffany Atkin with the St. George Police Department.

But the answers police seek, will not bring Spencer back to his family.

“Spencer was a very special person,” said O’Brien Tafua.

The family is rallying support for the four kids he left behind.

“Their dad is not here but we’re here for them. I know it’s hard to live without their dad. But we’re going to show them that we’re here, not matter what. When they need their dad, we’re here to support them,” said Siniva.

If you would like to contribute to help the Tafua kids, you can donate to a GoFundMe page here.